Ron Marlenee

Ronald Charles Marlenee (August 8, 1935 – April 26, 2020) was an American Republican politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from the U.S. state of Montana from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1993. He represented .

Early life Ron Marlenee was born on August 8, 1935 in Scobey, Montana, the son of Charles and Margaret (Darchuk) Marlenee and the brother of Bob and Lanney. While in Congress, he served on the House Interior and Agricultural committees.

After the 1990 Census, Montana's declining population growth rate resulted in the loss of its 2nd district, reducing the state to one at-large district. Marlenee ran unsuccessfully against the Democratic nominee, Pat Williams, who represented the 1st district. The election was hotly contested, and Williams won with 50.5% of the vote. Ron Marlenee was the longest-serving Republican representative from Montana in the House of Representatives. Following the 1992 election, Marlenee left politics and never ran for a political position again.

Marlenee also became a lobbyist for a variety of organizations. and co-founded the Western Tradition Partnership (now the American Tradition Partnership), which works in Montana politics and bills itself as a "advocate for issues like water, forest management, and energy development." According to the Bozeman Chronicle, a "state election regulator later found that the group had provided illegal contributions to state Republican candidates." In addition, Marlenee was responsible for establishing a veteran's memorial in Miles City, Montana.

He died in Bozeman on April 26, 2020.